Macbeth

2015

Action / Drama / History / War

Synopsis

Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Romeo Lineng7 / 10

Tragedy

It seems everybody forgot today what the real tragedy is. In conditions of eternal fear to consult anyone's feelings, the genre of clear tragedy vanishes completely. If only George Martin allows to himself to kill consistently several characters in his books, we can hear yellings like 'he is a slasher!' or 'he kills everybody!'. It's strange for me, as we do not mind of blood rivers and streams in Tarantino's movies. Maybe because it is funny', I guess.

Let's refer to an encyclopedia: 'Tragedy - branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events of private or a public character encountered or caused by a heroic individual and usually leads to the hero's death'. Some Shakespeare's plays are tragedies and they were and will be it, as you might want it or not. If the place and time of the action moved, the meaning will be not changed. As it is important to understand the Chekhov is the great playwright of dramas, the same time it is important to realize why Shakespeare is the great tragedian.

If you are not afraid to wade through the wilds of Scottish English with its archaic words, if there is no fear in your brave heart of the Shakespeare's iamb, if you love Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in particular and British actors in general, so you have to watch this film.

Reviewed by Michael Ledo10 / 10

A dagger of the mind

MacBeth kills the king, becomes king and can't handle the guilt. Blood imagery, darkness, and a ghost if I recall my High School British Literature class of 1972.

The Shakespearean masterpiece has been made into a modern action film, making me think this was one of the first cabin-in-the -woods slashers. I loved the acting, the cinematography (even when the sun was glaring on the lens) and the scenery. Marion Cotillard ending soliloquy had me lighting Bics and tossing Frisbees. She was that good. Fassbender did a heck of a job nailing a king crazed with guilt. The three "witches" from the play appear to be "fates" in the film which worked out nicely. Yes, much has been cut out.

I was glued to the screen as I did not want to miss a word, because at times it was hard to understand what they were saying between accents and hithers. At times I felt I was watching art. I would be surprised if this was not nominated a number of Golden Globes or Oscars.

Guide: No nudity. Clothed above the waist sex scene. IMDB claims there is absolutely no swearing...except for that one "damn" word. Now I did hear something that sounded like "skull f--- me thunder." I don't think that is what MacBeth said to his wife, but it just sounded that way. Could someone toss me a bone on that one?

Reviewed by FilmBuff19947 / 10

Powerful Performances, but the Story Falls Flat,

Macbeth is a good movie with a reasonably well developed plot and a top notch cast. The highlight is without a doubt Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in their respective roles, the braveness and naivety conveyed by Fassbender from beginning to end is outstanding and we can see that he put a lot of work and thought in to this character. As for Cotillard, the rage and ambitiousness brought out from her is unique, spellbinding and an absolute spectacle to endure.

However, I did find the plot failed to engage me and truly pull me in, it felt as if they were taking so much time trying to stay faithful to Shakespeare that they forget to make this story feel relevant and gratifying for an audience who might not be familiar with this material. It should have been made for a more universal audience.

As well as that, a lot of the enotion felt forced, not by the actors, but from the direction, score, cinematography and so on. It felt like they were trying too hard to enforce this on us, rather than merely letting us merely get engrossed in to the drama from the performances, I understand that it is based on a play, but I thought it all could have been done with a little more subtlety.

Not breathtaking, but very enjoyable. Great performances throughout, Macbeth is flawed, but I would recommend any fan of Shakespeare or these performers check it out, it is certainly worth your time.

A man will stop at nothing to become king, while his wife enforces evil upon him.